Interstate 12 in Louisiana
| I-12 | |||
| Get started | Baton Rouge | ||
| End | slidell | ||
| Length | 86 mi | ||
| Length | 138 km | ||
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Interstate 12 or I -12 is an Interstate Highway in the United States, located in the southern state of Louisiana. The highway forms an east-west connection in the south of the state and cuts off Interstate 10, which runs south through New Orleans. The route runs from the capital Baton Rouge to Slidell, and I-12 joins I-10 at both ends. The route is 138 kilometers long.
- EHUACOM: Provides city overview of capital of Louisiana, including general information about the state Louisiana.
Travel directions
I-12 at the interchange with I-55 at Hammond.
The I-10, I-12 and I-59 interchange at Slidell.
Interstate 12 runs along the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, a large lake that connects to the open sea and is located north of New Orleans. I-12 begins and ends at Interstate 10 and also bypasses through traffic on I-10 that has no destination or origin in New Orleans.
The western interchange with I-10 is in the capital Baton Rouge. I-12 here initially passes through the urban area of Baton Rouge and has 2×3 lanes, also further east of Baton Rouge. After Satsuma the highway narrows to 2×2 lanes and leads through more rural area with many forests. At the small town of Hammond follows an interchange with Interstate 55. I-12 then passes through a somewhat urbanized area north of Lake Pontchartrain, which circles the towns of Covington and Mandeville. There is also an exit here that leads to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway towards New Orleans.
Farther east, I-12 continues through thick forests and passes the small town of Slidell. Here, I-12 again terminates at I-10, going east to Mississippi, at an interchange with Interstate 59, going north to Hattiesburg.
- existingcountries: state overview of Louisiana, including geography, history and major cities.
History
Before the construction of I-12, US 190 was the main east-west connection north of Lake Pontchartrain. At that time, US 90 was the thoroughfare along the south coast of Louisiana, but here it curves south through New Orleans, so that through east-west traffic on US 190 had a shorter route. I-12 plays a similar role today.
Before I-12 was built, only a small portion of US 190 in the eastern suburbs of Baton Rouge had been widened to 2×2 lanes. The rest of the road was a single carriageway at the time, passing through all the towns on the route, including Baton Rouge itself, Hammond, Covington, Mandeville and Slidell.
Construction history
Construction on I-12 began in the mid-1960s. By 1975, the western half of I-10 in Baton Rouge to I-55 at Hammond was completed, as well as a shorter stretch around Slidell in the eastern part of the state. The highway was opened in phases between 1967 and 1976, the last section being between Hammond and Slidell.
Later developments
In 1993, the highway was named the “West Florida Republic Parkway,” after the unique history of Louisiana’s Parishes (Counties). In 1810, the West Florida Republic existed 74 days between a secession from Spain and the Louisiana Purchase of the United States. Beginning in November 2003, “West Florida Republic Parkway” signs were posted.
In August 2005, the I-10 Twin Span Bridge over the eastern portion of Lake Pontchartrain was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, forcing traffic over I-12 and I-12 temporarily functioning as I-10. In January 2006, one of the bridges reopened to traffic, calming I-12 between I-10/I-59 and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
Widening
On November 2, 2012, the widening of I-12 through Slidell to 2×3 lanes was completed. In 2015-2016, another section on the west side of Slidell was widened to 2×3 lanes. On December 19, 2013, the widening of I-12 through east Baton Rouge was also completed. In the period 2017-2019, the highway has been widened to 2×3 lanes for a further 11 kilometers east to Satsuma. In 2021, nearly 30 kilometers of I-12 between Satsuma and Hammond will be resurfaced but not widened.
In May 2020, the widening of I-12 through the Covington area began. The widening of 5 kilometers of I-12 between US 190 and State Route 59 first started, in October 2020 the widening of 5 kilometers between State Route 21 and US 190 also started . In a later phase it became 4 mile section between State Route 1077 and State Route 21 widened to eventually widen approximately 15 miles from I-12 past Covington and Mandeville to 2×3 lanes.
The interchange with I-10 in Baton Rouge was reconstructed in 2021-2022. Originally, I-12 had a lane fork where traffic from I-10 merged on the left. This has been reversed to reduce weaves to the nearby College Drive junction. The work took place partly on I-10 and partly on I-12, with both lanes built against each other.
Traffic intensities
There are 100,000 vehicles per day in Baton Rouge. East of this city, 47,000 vehicles drive every 24 hours, making I-12 a fairly busy interurban highway by American standards. At Slidell, this increases again to 63,000 vehicles per day.
Lane Configuration
| From | Unpleasant | Lanes | Comments |
| Exit 1 | Exit 19 | 2×3 | Baton Rouge |
| Exit 19 | exit 80 | 2×2 | |
| exit 80 | exit 85 | 2×3 | slidell |
